UNTIL now furniture was just stuff sitting around the family home — you probably did not even notice it. Now you are leaving home and the sofa is staying behind. You have a new home, whether it is a ridiculously small box room in a shared house or a swanky, new hall of residence.
You need new furniture, so how do you fill your new space without emptying your wallet? The National Union of Students estimates that more than half your student loan will go on essential living costs. Before buying anything, make a list of what you think you need. Now, do you really need that giant flat screen TV? Wherever you are living there are some things that you just cannot live without (see box). Everyone needs a bed, especially students. For some it means a good night’s sleep before lectures the next morning. For others, a place to watch hours of daytime telly comfortably. If you are in halls there will be an uncomfortable single. If you are not, buy yourself a double.
This is your biggest purchase and should be the first. Buy a bed with built-in storage so you have somewhere to put your clothes. To make your late nights and lie-ins cosy, buy a pair of pillows from Matalan for £10 and get a duvet set at Asda, from £8.
Every student needs a desk (to hold those rarely opened books) and a chair. Remember, size matters: you will be moving these items around town. Also make sure that they will not give you backache or RSI. Visit Posturite’s website (see box) for advice.
Making a desk is simple. Just balance an old door on two filing cabinets or a pile of bricks. They are easy to transport and you can feed your computer wires through the doorknob hole. A friend once furnished his entire room with sturdy cardboard boxes and covered them with throws.
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A canvas-covered wardrobe from Argos at just £24.99 will be a better bet than the floor for your clothes.
Equipping the kitchen will be your second biggest expense — even if you do not have an actual kitchen. But take care to be thrifty not stingy. When buying glasses avoid the temptation to buy them individually at pound shops because you can get multi-packs even cheaper at supermarkets such as Asda. Markets should not be underrated because you can haggle.
Kitchen starter kits from shops such as Ikea are good value for those who like to cook. But, if your culinary skills run only to making pot noodles and beans on toast, the £54.90 may be better spent elsewhere. Just make sure you have a bowl, a mug and other such basics. You will need more than one of each because you will need to feed and water your new friends.
Finally, do not forget extension leads. You can never have too many. What good is a computer if you cannot plug it in? So how do you get your hands on all these items? Finding a bargain is almost as easy as opening the Argos catalogue and much more fun. You are a student now, so ditch that pride. You want freebies. Offer to help your parents/relatives/friends to clean out their loft or shed. Make a list of what you need and e-mail it around. People are often happy to get rid of spare things.
Free furniture is not hard to find. Join the Freecycle Network,an internet forum with groups in England, Scotland and Wales that is dedicated to keeping good items out of landfills.
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Members post unwanted items on the site and you e-mail directly if interested.
Post a “wanted” message if you are looking for something special. A word of advice, though: it is addictive and you might find yourself picking up a barbecue even though you do not have a garden.
A similar organisation is the Furniture Re-use Network, which provides good quality second-hand furniture and safety-tested appliances for people on low incomes and students.
You do not dress like your parents so why decorate like them? Once you have your basics sorted, start thinking about style. Lighting dramatically alters the appearance of any room, adding atmosphere. The standard student fallback is fairy lights — red-hot chilli and star variations.
Plants make a room feel lived in and do not have to cost loads, especially if you get cuttings from your mother.
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You customise your MP3 player and your clothes, so why not your furniture? Everyone may have the same Ikea bookshelf but it does not have to look the same. Buying plain wood is cheaper and gives you the freedom to be creative with paint or varnish.
If you cannot afford curtains, use a tablecloth, bed sheet or cloth shower curtain.
As for walls, if they are not too damp and your landlord allows you to stick things up on them, think about art. Poster sales on campus are an easy bet, as is a clip frame of favourite photos of the friends you vow you will never forget (but soon will). Of course, if you are studying art you are expected to make your own.
And if you flunk your degree, or it turns out to be worthless, you can consider a career in interior design.
ESSENTIALS:
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